ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Consumer stories are around us everyday. During my short family vacation over Easter weekend, a woman caused a stir on a Carnival Cruise Line excursion when she refused to leave a ferry bound for a private Bahamian island, which I immediately started looking into.
The ferry operator asked her to disembark because she did not have the required wristband.
“Everybody got a wristband. She’s the only one with no wristband,” officials said.
The woman insisted she had paid for the excursion, but the ferry operator stood firm on their no wristband, no entry policy. Passengers, growing hot and hungry, began to voice their frustration.
Everyone there bought a ticket for the excursion on the Carnival Cruise Line’s app and were later given tickets on the ship. On the day of the excursion, Carnival agents were supposed to take our tickets, ask us to sign a waiver and give each of us a wristband before boarding the ferry.
“I’m not getting off the boat! Come on, get her off man!” the passenger said.
Officers were called to the scene to persuade the woman to leave the ferry and seek reimbursement from Carnival. She refused and threatened to sue the cruise line, claiming Carnival had proof of her payment.
Leslie Silva, a principal at McCall Sweeney and Silva, explained the legal implications of such situations.
Deanna Dewberry, News10NBC: “When you buy the ticket and you have entered into a contractual agreement with the cruiseline, are you in most cases signing away your right to a jury trial?”
Leslie Silva: “You are unless it’s an extreme case of a bodily injury. Then you are bound to go into arbitration with them.”
Carnival’s terms and conditions mention arbitration 19 times, highlighting the company’s preference for resolving disputes outside of court.
The question that remained was had this woman bought a ticket, signed the waiver and not been given a wristband?
A Carnival spokesperson commented, stating “It is important to recognize that there is more than meets the eye to every story, but given the threat of legal action, we will defer further comment.”
Despite the officers’ efforts, the woman refused to leave until they physically removed her from the ferry, prompting cheers from the other passengers. An officer even asked the passenger if she wanted to act like the child by sitting on the floor and she replied with “I want to be like an adult who paid my money.”
Later, the woman claimed she received a refund from Carnival, though the company did not confirm this.
For those unhappy with their cruise experience, the Federal Maritime Commission’s Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services is available for assistance.
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